Powerhouse Parramatta

I object to the Powerhouse Parramatta project.
I lived in Parramatta as a child, attended school, both primary and secondary, there and as well worked as a nurse in the area.
I hold Parramatta, its history and my personal connection, to the area seriously.
I am also a retired secondary History teacher and suggest that the destruction of built and natural history is tantamount to disrespect to those who came before.
As a mother of four and grandmother of seven I also believe women’s history needs advocacy. Willow Grove is a tangible link with the women and their babies in Parramatta.
Please reconsider the cultural devastation that will be wrought upon this precinct.
Yours sincerely,
Sally Spurr

The current Powerhouse Museum is a unique repurposing of a heritage industrial building from the late 19th century. It allows the exhibition, and operation, of heritage machinery in a situation sympathetic to the original purpose. The only other site in Sydney that could possibly fulfil this role is Cockatoo Island - redolent with history and populated with heritage industrial buildings. To put these industrial artefacts into a modern concrete/glass box (requiring the demolition of historic buildings!) is government vandalism. I read the original business case - and laughed that some one was able to sell such an absurd case to the government. I see the same nonsense is being promulgated - that international and interstate visitors will spend extra time in Sydney to enable a trip to Parramatta to see the museum. Build another museum at Parramatta; I've spent enough time at Castle Hill to assist in the selection of a world class collection to satisfy the needs of Western Sydney's population - people who will still be able to come to the inner city for a rejuvenated Powerhouse Museum.

I am a restorer of historic machinery - I have over 50 ancient machines in my collection (some of which are destined for museums) and i work one day per week at Cockatoo island restoring the 19th century steam cranes. i have lived overseas and travelled the world (part of which was at government expense when i was conscripted) and the steam collection at the Powerhouse is not bettered anywhere else in the world. To convert this collection to static display is worse than a poor joke. Do you want to be remembered as part of the team that was responsible for this vandalism?
What is required for sanity to prevail? What is the secret deal with property developers? Why can’t Parramatta have a museum sourced from the Castle Hill wharerhouses?
Kind regards, Andy Moran

I object to the Powerhouse Parramatta project.

I have not made any reportable political donations.
I do not request that my name be withheld from being published with my Submission.

These buildings have cultural and historical significance to me and my family. I am among the fourth, of six generations of my family born and raised in Parramatta. These buildings have contributed to a sense of belonging for myself and my family, as familiar sights and reminders of the historical importance, and beauty of Parramatta.

The cumulative impacts of further heritage destruction in the proposed, pointless and thoughtless destruction of Willow Grove and St. George’s Terrace, especially following the tragically heart-breaking destruction of the Royal Oak Hotel, will leave too few examples of such rare architecture existing in Parramatta.

We, the local tax-payers and rate-payers deserve to have our voices heard. Building by building, I have watched my childhood memories disappear, to the point of feeling like an outsider in my own home town. This proposed project will exacerbate that sensation, immeasurably.

It is well known that the site is unsuitable for a museum, or part-museum, due to being a flood area. There are many protests regarding the splitting up of the collection and the destruction of or damage to the current building housing the exhibits, to remove the items. It is well know that the true inspiration for the project is the revenue which will result from the residential apartments which will be erected above the museum.

I have attended protests over this matter in the past. I feel that we are not being listened to. No matter how many of us attend protests, or write letters such as this one stating our objections, buildings are still torn down.

Jayne Barker

As a tax payer, I am very against the proposed move of the Powerhouse museum.

It is an abject waste of money, and could be better spent elsewhere. Also, the location is iconic and a move out West essentially cuts off citizens from the innercity/north shore.

Please reconsider.

Regards,

Oliver Tindell

I strongly object to the Powerhouse Parramatta Project.
I have not made any reportable or otherwise political donations.
I accept that my name may be published with my submission.

The reasons I object are as follows:
1. The Heritage value of Willowgrove and St Georges’ Terraces is immense and thus the buildings are irreplaceable.
They are rare examples of architecture that no longer exists in the Parramatta CBD. It will result in the loss of sense of place and character of Parramatta.
2. It is not the Museum that Parramatta should have, and not the one promised. It looks as if it will be a flexible commercial events space with a residential floor.
14,000 people signed a petition in just under one week calling on the Premier to protect Willowgrove and St Georges’ Terraces; along with the National Trust of Australia (NSW) and the Historic House Association.
3. A clear lack of any consultation with western Sydney communities about what cultural precinct and museum was suitable or wanted.
For half the estimated $1.5 Billion costs, Parramatta could have a purpose built museum.
4. In 2017 Parramatta City Council developed a cultural plan which was the result of extensive consultation with the local community. It identified very clear objectives which have been ignored.
The current proposal is therefore inappropriate and needs to be urgently reviewed and preferably cancelled.
Save the existing Ultimo Museum in its entirety.
There are enough artifacts stored at the Museum’s Castle Hill Storage site to create several museums and therefore an excellent museum at a more appropriate site in Parramatta. And thus save Ultimo.
I therefore would be obliged if you took my objections into consideration when making your decisions.
Yours faithfully
Sandy Watson

Please reconsider the decision to move forward with construction of a new Powerhouse and the destruction of Willow Grove.

Heritage places like Willow Grove are what give Parramatta (and Sydney) its unique look and feel.

Destroying Willow Grove, a heritage building which can never be replaced, just to construct a new building that looks like it could exist in any city, anywhere in the world, is a very poor trade.

The Powerhouse Museum is already amazing, just as it already is, where it already is. It's a wonderfully unique and interesting addition to the Darling Harbour area.

As tourists visiting Sydney in 2014, the Powerhouse Museum was one of the places my husband and I really enjoyed visiting. Now, as residents of Sydney, we always make a point to take visiting friends and family to tour the Powerhouse Museum while in Darling Harbour - somewhere we might not be as interested in if it weren't for being able to visit the Maritime Museum at one end and the Powerehouse at the other.

If Parramatta is to get a new entertainment venue, it should not include the destruction of one of its few remaining historic architectural structures such as Willow Grove.

Please preserve the beautiful building and grounds of Willow Grove so that future generations can appreciate it too.

Please find some other way for Paramatta to get a new entertainment center.

I do not normally make political donations, nor do I normally write to officials, but I do think this is an important issue.
Please also note that I would prefer my last name not be published with my submission.
Kind regards,
LizzieBeth

Dear Sir,
I wish to record a formal objection to the proposed destruction of the current Powerhouse museum & relocation of its exhibits to Parramatta lodge.
It is essential that the cultural life of the heart of Sydney city is extended with additional facilities, not diminished.
I believe that this proposed move would be detrimental to the Ultimo area, as well as the city centre.

I support the development of museum facilities in the western suburbs, but they should be additional to current Sydney facilities, not replace them.
The city is rapidly growing, and our cultural facilities should be growing at the same rate or increasing.
Developers in newly developing areas should be contributing to the cost of providing additional cultural and community facilities, including green space and community gathering places to enhance liveability.

I urge Planning NSW to reject the proposed project to destroy the Ultimo Powerhouse.

I object and oppose the Powerhouse Parramatta Project on a number of levels.

Firstly is the loss of significant heritage items being Willowgrove and St George’s Terrace. Parramatta has already lost enough heritage items in the recent past and we as a society cannot afford to lose anymore.

I am appalled at the government’s decision to move the Powerhouse at a huge cost where the money could be spent in a much better manner. A second Powerhouse or similar museum could be built without us losing the existing one in the city. We have more than enough exhibits to allow for a second or even third exhibition space.

It beggars belief that such a decision could be made without the mandate of the people of Sydney. There has not been enough or any consultation with the people who live in the area aside from those in neighbouring communities.

I would like to see the government reverse it’s decision on the Powerhouse Parramatta project and consult the electorate.

Your sincerely,

Susie

This is not the relocation of the Ultimo Power House Museum to a more suitable site, it is the destruction of a Valuable collection of historic artefacts in the name of Developer Madness.
I have resided in the Parramatta area since 1948 and my father since 1940. What we are witnessing now is Developers Madness. The site proposed for the Museum is totally unsuitable and could not meet the criteria for sensible development.
I have no affiliations with any political party nor have I made any donations to any particular political party. I don't object to having my name published in connection to this project. I am simply a concerned resident fed up with inappropriate planning decisions and destruction of historic places that make up the character of this city. My Summary of abjections is as follows.
1) Destruction of valuable heritage building such as the Terraces and Willow Grove.
2) Inappropriate Land use. This site is inappropriate for a museum of the size needed to house the existing artefacts at Ultimo
3) Flood risk. This zone is subject to flooding and with changing climate and the increased threat of higher sea and flood levels, the risk will be exacerbated.
4) The character of the area will be diminished by this eyesore.
Please re-consider this development in line with community expectations.


Neil Sheridan

Objection to Parramatta Powerhouse:
In light of the NSW Government's recent changes to the planned removal of the Ultimo Powerhouse to the site of WillowGrove and St. George's Terrace, I believe it is still crucial to lodge an objection against any new building(s) which will necessitate the destruction of some of Parramatta's beloved heritage buildings.

1. It is vital to the cultural history of this country to save heritage buildings such as WillowGrove and St Georges Terraces from being demolished.,
2. I have concerns about the flood risks and accessibility of the riverbank site. Recent rains demonstrated that flooding is a more regular event than the "advertised" One in One Hundred Years Flood.
3. Parramatta certainly deserves its own museum. There are many important historical sites which are under threat (The Female Factory, Old Cumberland Hospital, to name but two), which would lend themselves to development as world class museums. WillowGrove and St. George's Terrace could also be incorporated into a new museum.
4. To even hint at spending $1.5 billion to move a museum, when half of these costs are going into relocation of exhibits, storage for years while Parramatta is built and flood mitigation of the unsuitable site. When for less than half this budget Parramatta could have a purpose built museum* (*some of this text is taken from The North Parramatta Residents Action Group's helpful document).
5. The design of the new Parramatta Powerhouse is not suited for a museum, rather it appears to be an 'events' building, and therefore could still be built elsewhere in the district to perform that function. For instance, it could be paired with the new Olympic swimming pool, promised some years ago when the well used old pool was ripped up for a new football stadium. Indeed, the new Powerhouse design resembles a stadium.
Please accept my submission and I ask for the entire project to be reconsidered, in particular, saving important heritage buildings for future generations.
Regards,
Irene Wheatley

I strongly object to the Parramatta Powerhouse Project.
I object on many grounds, but most significantly I am concerned and upset by the demolition of Willow Grove and St George’s Terrace for the ribbon cutting of yet another venue. These building should not be demolished because of their unique architecture (as the SoHI records – “the only examples of their type located in the core of the Parramatta CBD. The demolition of these heritage items would have a major impact on the representation of these respective architectural styles”, and most significantly because of the heritage and social impacts their demolition will have.
Willow Grove was significant for the Parramatta area and its residents during its time as a private hospital, and nursing facility. St Georges Terrace is the last remaining, and extremely important time capsule, of early history and original Parramatta building character.
I believe the demolition of these buildings is just another example of the government, and Australia more broadly, failing to maintain our interesting history where possible, in a desire to become some more modern and developed nation. But at what point do we accept we have lost what made our identity possible in the first place? Does no one consider what will be left for my generations’ children?
Furthermore, I have issues with the lack of addressed dead ends, and contradicting sentiments of the EIS and other environmental planning instruments.
Firstly, in the mitigation measure section of the report (Table 17), and many times through the report, there is reference to the importance and utilisation of ‘The City of Parramatta draft Heritage Interpretation Guidelines 2017’ and yet, I am unable to find the guidelines online or directly paraphrased in the report. Furthermore, to me, their publication after the construction of the Powerhouse Museum is completed seems pointless and seems premeditated to exclude the real considerations of development.
Secondly, the lack of tangible goals, and what seem to me to be empty promises, about re-using and salvaging parts of these existing buildings is alarming. There is no direct actions promised, and the practices mentioned seem to be novel and loose. This leads to lack of accountability in its undertaking.
Finally, the contradiction of many of the City of Parramatta’s own Council documents in this proposal is astounding. The ‘Parramatta Local Environmental Plan, 2011’, lists these buildings as having local heritage significance in Schedule 5 of the legislation, and yet they are still being openly demolished.
The EIS report mentions that this project is justifiable as it aligns with the strategic objectives of many city Plans. It apparently meets the objectives of the ‘Strategic Planning Statement City Plan 2036’. But I am unsure how demolition of some of the rarest and locally important architecture and history “balances the need for housing and economic growth, while also protecting and enhancing housing diversity, heritage and local character”. ‘Culture and Our City - A Cultural Plan for Parramatta’s CBD 2017 – 2022’ also boasts the Council’s consultation with community to find “a sense of community is very important as are our green spaces, heritage and local jobs”. Yet I would argue the Powerhouse Museum development only delivers to the locals’ priorities in the last way, and in fact totally undermines the first two. Council also want to be a ‘custodian’ and work “in partnership with cultural heritage organisations” to care for “Aboriginal history, colonial and diverse settlement history, cultural collections and cultural and natural heritage sites”. These actions don’t seem to align with this alleged role. There are many other paradoxes in this document compared to the EIS, constantly saying the Council wants to build community relations and be “a trusted partner”.
The demolition of St Georges Terrace and Willow Grove for a bigger and better facility is yet another example of this government destroying an area’s past (despite the residents of the area’s best efforts) to create the impression they are planning for a better future, while forcing the illusion that it’s for a perceived ‘greater good’, and to stand in the way of a greater good is wrong. But what is wrong is the constant empty promises of developers and the black and white nature of NSW planning system as it stands.
The loss of heritage, history and unique architecture with the demolition of Willow Grove and St George’s Terrace are reasons I stand with many residents of Parramatta to object this development.

I oppose the planned destruction of Willow Grove and St George’s Terrace. Their heritage value is considerable, and form an important part of Parramatta CBD’s history. Once lost, these physical reminders which offer people the opportunity to reflect on and experience something of Parramatta’s rich and diverse past will be gone forever. Parramatta’s future development should acknowledge, respect and build in its Indigenous history, early European settlement and 19th and 20th century background, not erase it. In principle the Powerhouse proposal has been significantly modified by the decision to retain the original site at Ultimo, and arguments that justified the destruction of heritage buildings at Parramatta must take into account the fact that the new Parramatta project is no longer the re-siting of a State significant institution. While the new design project may not have materially changed, any justification for destroying significant on-site heritage buildings based on the intent to relocate a State-significant institution is no longer valid.

I object to the demolishing of Willow Grove on the grounds of its historical and architectural significance.

I object to the proposed demolition of the heritage-listed Willow Grove and St Georges Terraces. The design of the new building should recognise the heritage value of these buildings as a constraint, rather than simply knocking them over. If the design is unable to do so, the site is not suitable and another should be selected (and there must be plenty of disused 'brownfield' sites in Parramatta to choose from). The proposed loss of these heritage buildings needs to be seen in the wider cumulative loss of heritage in Parramatta and other parts of Sydney. The current NSW government has a sorry record on heritage conservation -- for example the destruction of the Royal Oak pub in Parramatta; the ANZAC memorial avenue in Randwick for the light rail; Aboriginal heritage sites (for the same project); numerous trees and open spaces (Westconnex); early convict-built sandstone constructions (Windsor Bridge) . These heritage items were important reminders of our past history and our development as a nation, and their destruction reflects badly on the government. If the government doesn't respect our history, then what message does that send to the people? Save Willow Grove and St Georges Terraces and stop destroying our heritage.

Please see attached.

Dear Sir,

I am making my submission to protest the demolition of two heritage buildings to make way for the proposed new Parramatta Powerhouse Museum.
There have been great numbers of people protesting against the closure of the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney and the argument from the Berejiklian government is that "one third of NSW's population is in western Sydney and they deserve to have an iconic institution"
Yes they certainly do.
However it does not logically follow that this desire to have a modern, new museum in Parramatta entails the destruction of 2 historic buildings in Parramatta and the dismantling of the much loved Powehouse Museum in Sydney.
Surely there are other good sites for the new museum in Parramatta and why does Sydney lose a museum so western Sydney gains one?
Isn't the object of the exercise in building a new museum to provide more museums for Sydney, to enhance the culturural amenity, not in keeping the number of museums the same?
We the voting public have not been given any valid argument for either of these proposals and in fact most queries are met with out right 'stone walling' from the Premier.
Sydney has a colourful history of 'the people' struggling to save historic precincts and their historic buildings, 'The Rocks', 'Woolloomooloo' and most sweetly an entire suburb of Paddington's terraces.
Why does it come to this?
Tourism has been a huge money generator from the preservation of these sites for the city of Sydney.
Surely history could also be used in Parramatta's favour in preserving these sites, and with a new museum to visit the cultural experience is doubly enhanced for tourists and their much needed dollars, as well as the people of Parramatta being provided with a greatly enhanced cultural amenity, with the historic buildings and their history retained.
In Parramatta the proposed site of the new museum is on the banks of a river which is subject to flooding, why is it determined to be built on this unsuitable site?
So that engineering can overcome the problems of the site at vast added expense?
What is going on?
The environmental Impact Statement now in the final week of public consultation supported the demolition of the 19th century Italianate villa Willow Grove, formerly a maternity hospital, and a row of terraces known as St George's Terrace.
Has this Impact Statement addressed the social history of these buildings adequately and the loss of connection to place?
Local commumities are being ignored and these important heritage sites are about to be destroyed.
The people of western Sydney deserve to have their heritage preserved, just as much as the people of Sydney city have deserved to have their's preserved. Everyone now enjoys the fruits of the preservation of the herirage sites in Sydney.
What would Rome, Florence, London, Paris or Melbourne be without their historic buildings?
I suspect, just as many disenchanted voters do, that we are up against a done deal involving property developers and the State government, and a relentless pursuit of redevelopment of valuble inner city sites at all costs. There seems to be no other logical explanation for all of this unnecessary distress being inflicted on the citizens of both Sydney and Parramatta.
The buildings up for destruction in Parramatta are culturally and historically significant, and a wonderful asset to the city and contain cultural memory for many citizens. They cannot be rebuilt when they are gone.
Please respect the voice of the citizens, they deserve respect.
Will this government be prepared to go down in history as cultural vandals all for the 'price of everything and the value of nothing'?
I must make note that I have not made any reportable donations to any political party

Yours sincerely
Deborah Smith

Please see attached combined TfNSW response.

Dear Sir
I object to the Powerhouse Parramatta Project for the following reasons:
1. I have visited the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo many times over the past 30 years and consider it unique amongst the many museums I have visited around Australia and the world, not only in its collection but the deep connection between the collection and the building in which it is housed.
2. The argument to move the museum claims that visitor numbers have dropped to the Ultimo location. But as it has been squeezed for money by successive governments, the Powerhouse has not been able to market itself properly nor gain enough visiting exhibitions, so a drop in visitor numbers is understandable under these conditions and can be reversed with increased funding and clever marketing techniques.
3. I agree that the City of Parramatta needs and deserves a new museum, but gaining a second-hand museum at the loss of the unique Powerhouse at Ultimo is not the answer. For two and a half years I was Marketing Manager at Riverside Theatres at Parramatta and first hand saw that there is an audience for cultural activities in Sydney’s west. I lived at Rosehill until I was 12 years old and have visited friends and relatives in the Parramatta area many times each year since. I know there is a hunger for culture and local attractions but I do not think a Powerhouse Museum is the correct choice. Why not a unique museum for Parramatta, a historical museum of early Australia and indigenous culture in the area? The Museum of Sydney is ideal telling the story of early Sydney, so why can’t a Museum of Parramatta tell our local story there? With the wealth of unique historical buildings in the Parramatta area, this would be an ideal companion. Or since only a small portion of the collections of the Art Gallery of NSW, the Powerhouse and other museums are able to be exhibited at any one time, why not a Museum of Australia at Parramatta which has visiting exhibitions from other institutions?
4. Parramatta is rich in historical buildings, a unique area which highlights our history. One of those historical treasures is the 1870s building Willow Grove, important to our historical record as a maternity hospital for over three decades to the early 1950s; and the same for the historic St Georges Terraces. Surely we have pulled down enough of our historical buildings “in the name of progress”. As a child I went on excursions to the many historic buildings in Parramatta, and have visited them since. Surely Willow Grove is as important to our history as Elizabeth Farm, Hambledon Cottage, Parramatta Girls Home and so on. All are worthy of restoration for future generations, and should not be pulled down. Willow Grove and St Georges Terraces are rare examples of architecture that no longer exist in Parramatta CBD so should be retained.
5. The location of the proposed new Parramatta Powerhouse is flood-prone so not viable for a location for a museum. Common sense should tell you that any museum at Parramatta should be built in a different location where the invaluable collection is safe from floodwaters.
6. To spend $1.5 billion moving a unique Museum to an inferior location where a much smaller quantity of the collection is available for view in these current financially straitened times defies logic. Why spend a fortune to “move” the museum to an inferior space, and destroy the unique collection by storing it away from the public, only exhibiting a small amount in an inferior gallery, and loaning major pieces to other institutions as they’re not able to be stored properly elsewhere. It would cost less to build a new museum in a different location in Parramatta, and leave the current Powerhouse collection where it is.
7. Moving the museum and selling off the current site of the Powerhouse to developers smacks of dodgy developer deals. The NSW Government should not be seen to potential corruption with developers.

For all these reasons I object to closing the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo and building the Powerhouse Parramatta in this inferior location.

I am not a member of a political party nor have ever donated to a political party.

Regards,
Ian Phipps

Dear Premier,

I have no problems with the idea of an exhibition space in Parramatta

BUT

The idea of moving some or all of the wonderful exhibits at the Powerhouse to another venue is abhorrent.

The Powerhouse is well located and well founded.

It is our equivalent to the Deutches Museum as as such needs to be very accessible for visitors to our great City - SYDNEY

Moving it or some of the critical exhibits from their current location will be ridiculously expensive with a moribund outcome.

As you can see from the current outcry - including this plea - there is very little if any support for the move.

Reversing your decision will be very welcome and will exhibit your understanding of the will of the people

Do not be concerned about the pathetic criticism “Premier backs down” that some media will expound.

Its what you finally do that matters - not what the media says about it!

Yours faithfully

Jon Kirkwood